Overview

• Scientists estimate the remaining carbon budget for a 50% chance of keeping warming below 1.5°C at around 130 billion tonnes of CO₂, which will be depleted by early 2028 if current trends persist.
• Global greenhouse gas emissions hit record highs in 2024, averaging over 53 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent and continuing to rise year on year.
• The Earth’s energy imbalance has increased by 25 percent over the past decade, signalling accelerating heat uptake that drives ice melt and ocean warming.
• Sea levels have risen at 4.3 mm per year since 2019—more than double the long-term average—escalating flood and erosion risks for coastal areas.
• Absent drastic cuts, climate models project about 2.7°C of long-term warming, but rapid emission reductions over the next decade could still limit overshoot of the 1.5°C threshold.